Let us know what you think about the assembly when you receive it. Timmy mentioned the all aluminum one which was my second choice when looking around. After talking to a very well respected ZF6 mechanic and truck re-builder, I was convinced that they are all pretty much the same and sub-par from OEM.

Funny thing is that there is a ZF factory literally less than an hour from my house. I have a good friend that is a purchasing manager there for their supply chain. I have told him several times that he should just send me some random parts from time to time...

Again, let us know what you think sir.

 

I finally got around to installing the new one last week. It did get rid of the noise and also smoothed the pedal out a little bit and made it a little "springier". I tested it in hot weather up into the 90's and it stayed smooth and quiet the whole day. So if your clutch pedal starts to make noise as the temperature rises and gets harder to push it is the hydraulics telling you they are getting worn and need to be replaced. I also replaced the pedal assembly about a year back with a new OEM one and that also made a big improvement in smoothness and squeaking elimination. That is the 1-2 punch right there and it would be easier just to do both at the same time if your truck needs some clutch pedal tuning. I can tell I have hot spots on the flywheel since actual clutch engagement is not always the smoothest in 1st gear...little bit jittery and shaky but nothing worth tearing it apart over. Pulling a trailer I think starting out in LOW is the best idea to avoid putting too much heat and wear on the clutch and flywheel. That is probalby what causes those problems in the first place is starting out in too high of a gear.

 

9yrs of towing with my truck, and i still cant make the shift from L-1 without losing all my rpms.

 

The only time I start in 1st while towing heavy is if I am on a hill and there is forward momentum created by gravity alone. Also if I am going through a yield situation where forward movement is slowed drastically, but not stopped.

I use L even when the truck is not towing. I park in the back if my property by the tree line and must go down, then up a good 35-40° hills that are grass and dirt covered. I get stopped at the low point, shift into L, let up on the clutch and just steer. If it has been raining or the dirt is mud, I pop it into 4x4 high going down the hill, then into L before going up the other side. No need for 4x4 LOW.

Steep incline starting unloaded is another spot I will sometimes use L. In Seattle a couple years ago I was using L a lot to get the old girl moving before going into 1st.

@timmyboy76 This "might" change when you upgrade your turbo soon. I saw a dramatic way in the way the ZF6 shifts since upgrading my turbo. Easier and much smoother shifts through all gears going up or down in sequence. L - 1st was always a bit difficult to get right, but is much easier now. I could contribute the change in shifting characteristics to the PHP tune, but I noticed the change almost immediately after upgrading the turbo and still running 1023 tunes.

Also, L is only there to get us moving forward when towing heavy. I generally get to 5-8 MPH before shifting into 1st. I might hold L if I am going uphill on a start just to make it easier on me, but not often.

 

Man, i hope so. Dread it when stopped on a slight incline with trailer. On flats..etc, im in 1st starting out.
I try getn the rpms up and as the clutch dumps and go for 1st, the weight of trailer and not finding 1st fast enough, takes rpms to idle numbers lol...

 

The trick that works for me is to float it out of low and then clutch it into 1st nice and easy. And don't linger in Low too long and wrap it up real high...just get it rolling 3-4 mph and then 1st works fine. It takes a little practice but you will notice you can float it out of any gear without the clutch if you time it just right to where the engine isn't driving the transmission and transmission isn't driving the engine. I've gotten into the habit of usually always shifting it like that either down or up shifting. Now on a big truck transmission you can then feel it into the next gear up without using the clutch at all but this transmission doesn't like that. Hard on the syncro gears. (I usually use the clutch on the way back into gear on a big truck transmission as well since it will bang the gear and shock the driveline if you time it wrong and don't have the clutch disengaged)

 

Well sometimes if you are on very steep incline starting from a dead stop with too much weight behind you, you cant safely upshift without stalling the truck out. That is very true in a big truck and sometimes with any vehicle towing heavy with a manual trans. You just have to hold the gear until you crest the hill and let everyone behind you go insane if they want to.

 

Yeah really...
Hitn the mountains next week. Will give that float out of L a try. I can float 1-2 and 3-5 no problems, but 2-3 im grinding..